The Impact of Presentation Techniques on an
Audience
Magdaléna Rakvicová
Bachelor Thesis
2013
ABSTRAKT
Cílem práce bylo seznámit čtenáře s významem a přípravou prezentace, s pojmem
prezentační techniky a vysvětlit podstatu jednotlivých prezentačních technik.
V počátku teoretické části je podrobně vysvětlena definice a úloha prezentace, její
náležitosti a struktura. V druhé kapitole teoretické části, je vysvětlen pojem prezentační
technika a v další kapitole jsou jednotlivé techniky dopodrobna rozebrány a definovány.
Analytická část je vlastně případovou studií, která pojednává o problematice prezentačních
technik ve firmě MJM Litovel a.s. Zabývá se znalostí, nebo případnou neznalostí
prezentačních technik mezi manažery a následným řešením tohoto problému. V počátku
analytické části je firma MJM Litovel a.s. rozebrána jako celek, je rozebrána struktura
podniku a zaměstnanců, se kterými bylo provedeno dotazníkové šetření. Tito zaměstnanci
jsou z oblasti vrcholného managementu firmy. V další části jsou pak rozebrány oba
dotazníky.
Klíčová slova: prezentace, mluvčí, publikum, prezentování, prezentační techniky, vizuální
pomůcky, uvádění příběhů, pravidlo Tří, záložní plán, kontrola místa prezentace.
ABSTRACT
At the beginning of the theoretical part the definition and role of presentation, its
requirements and structure is explained in detail. In the second chapter of the theoretical
part, is the explanation of presentation techniques and the next chapter in detail the
techniques are discussed and defined in detail.
The analytical part itself is a case study which deals with the issue of presentation
techniques in the company MJM Litovel a.s. It deals with the knowledge or ignorance of
presentation techniques among managers and the subsequent solution to this problem. In
the beginning of the analytical part of the company MJM Litovel a.s. the company structure
is analyzed as a whole, and so is the staff with which a questionnaire survey was carried
out. These employees are excluded from the top management of the company. In the
second part are both surveys are discussed.
Keywords: presentation, presenter, audience, presenting, presentation techniques, visual
aids, storytelling, the rule of three, backup plan, checking out presentation room.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my dearest parents, my beloved
partner who supported me mentally and provide me with a great amount of optimism. I
would also like to thank my closest friend Bára Novotná. I have to say thanks, for their
support, assistance and patience, not only during writing this thesis but also during the
entire study at Tomas Bata University, I am sure that without them it would not be possible
in my life to get so far. Of course, I would like to thank the company MJM Litovel a.s. for
providing me with materials (questionnaires) which I needed for my analysis. I would also
like to thank my supervisor, Mgr. Kateřina Voráčová for her assistance and for the fact that
she was willing to answer any question I had and help me with some problems related to
my thesis and I would like to thank Mgr. Vladimíra Fonfárová for her advice and big help.
I would also like to thank Mr. Dean Ronald Catchpole for his willingness to read my
Bachelor Thesis and correct grammatical and semantic mistakes.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................9
I
THEORY .....................................................................................................................10
1
WHAT IS A PRESENTATION ................................................................................11
2
WHAT IS A PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE .......................................................15
3
FIVE WELL KNOWN PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES AND THEIR
DESCRIPTION...........................................................................................................17
3.1
USING VISUAL AIDS ............................................................................................... 17
3.2
STORYTELLING ....................................................................................................... 19
3.3
THE RULE OF THREE ............................................................................................... 22
3.4
HAVE A BACKUP PLAN ............................................................................................ 23
3.5
CHECKING OUT THE PRESENTATION ROOM ............................................................. 24
II ANALYTICAL PART................................................................................................27
4
INTRODUCTION TO THE ANALYTICAL PART ..............................................28
4.1
BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY............................................................ 28
4.2
STRUCTURE OF THE COMPANY MJM LITOVEL A.S. ................................................. 28
4.3
ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST QUESTIONNAIRE - BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
RELATIONSHIP OF MANAGERS IN MJM LITOVEL A.S. AS FOR PRESENTATION
TECHNIQUES ........................................................................................................... 30
4.4
ANALYSIS OF SECOND EXTENDING QUESTIONNAIRE- RESEARCH OF DEEPER
KNOWLEDGE OF PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES .......................................................... 32
4.5
EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION OF ANALYTICAL PART ........................................... 39
4.6
RECOMMENDATION FOR THE COMPANY MJM LITOVEL A.S. ................................... 40
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................41
BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................42
TABLE OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................44
LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................45
APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................46
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INTRODUCTION
This Bachelor thesis deals with presentation techniques, their relevance, importance,
usage and their impact on an audience.
Thanks to globalization, presentations and presentation techniques are increasingly
important. Humans have long had a need to present their ideas to others. Even prehistoric
cave paintings might be classified as an early form of presentation. Today, this issue is in
totally another dimension. At this time, presentations and presentation techniques have
taken on a completely new meaning. A greater emphasis is being placed on presentations
and presentation techniques. This fact is obvious from an early age when kids have to recite
poems in schools and later on as adults have to present their ideas and thoughts in various
jobs. So as we can see, the word as presentation and presentation techniques and using
them is becoming new lifestyle of this time. In the time when time is money, employers are
demanding and looking for quick and precise information- fast and accurate Presentations.
So public performance - the use of presentation and thus well chosen presentation
techniques, is increasingly a necessity, even in the various technological advancements and
increasing expansion of the Internet. During the last years a belief that this time is totally
impersonal and dehumanized prevails. But it is not a truism. Human society is based on
direct communication, even though the current situation, which is strongly influenced by
modern technology.
My thesis is divided into two main parts, which are thematically related. The second,
analytical part which is actually a case study and deals with the knowledge or ignorance of
the presentation techniques among top managers in the company MJM Litovel a.s. I chose
this company deliberately, because since I was sixteen years I work there every summer
and I am well oriented in this company. I know that in this company presentations are held
quite often, so I decided to do a survey in this company which will be used in the analytical
part.
The stated goal was to find out how well managers aged between 30-65 years are
oriented in the field of presentation techniques, and how good is their knowledge of
presentation techniques. The final outcome is an analysis of the MJM Litovel a.s. and
subsequent recommendations on how to respond to the outcome of the analysis.
TBU in Zlín, Faculty of Humanities
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10
THEORY
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WHAT IS A PRESENTATION
Presentation as the name itself implies is something which we present to somebody.
Our thoughts can be presented, our ideas can be presented and our wishes can be presented.
Everything that we can imagine can be presented.
As Rotondo claimed “Presentation is a visual and aural event, intended to communicate,
for the purposes of providing information, helping to understand, gaining agreement, or
motivating to act” (2002, 17).
Rotondo also stated that, some guides will divide
presentations according to their purpose, as for example motivational, persuasive and
informational (2002, 17). In presentation we should combine three main parts. These parts
are content, design and also delivery- the third part is in to my opinion the most important
one. The presentation and interest of your audience depends on how well you manage the
delivery of information. If your delivery will be interesting and amusing enough, your
audience will be totally enthused and they will be interested in the topic, despite the fact,
that this topic might not be so interesting. On the other hand, if your delivery will be
tedious and dull, nobody will care what the presentation is about. This situation is the worst
when presenting.
As was mentioned above, content is one of three main parts of presentation. According
to Rotondo, content includes research and also organization of materials (2002, 18). The
second part is design. Design, is about how the slide looks, how the whole presentation
looks. It is about which color we use, what font is the best for the presentation. Design is
about the visual side of presentation. Delivery is about how we deliver the presentation,
how we speak and how we use our voice. It is about, how we involve audience, with the
way of speaking. Without good delivery of presentation, there will be no good presentation.
To make a presentation really excellent, there must be a cooperation of these three
elements. Rotondo mentioned, each of these three elements has equal importance and
weight, without these three elements no presentation will be perfect (2002, 17). When
presenting, do not forget the fact that the audience can ask questions, they can ask whatever
they want. Do not be stressed and try to answer them in straight way and without
nervousness.
Now I focus on the six steps how to create a perfect presentation. The first step is the
process. Process could be considered as a plan for the presentation. According to Rotondo
you have to create content first, then you have to make a design for this content, finally you
must develop an appropriate delivery strategy and style, with which you are going to deal
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the presentation (2002, 18). Now I will mention some more information about content,
specifically what it is. Content could be everything, that is included in presentation, it is
everything, you are speaking about. In Content research and outline could be also included.
Of course, there can be problems with creating a presentation.
The question could be how to avoid these problems? To avoid problems with late
preparation of presentation, you have to think of creating some good content of your
presentation. Focus on three steps.
As Rotondo included in the book about Presentation Skills for Managers, the first step
you can do is do your research, second step is to collect and group your Information into
logical categories and the last step is about creating an Outline (2002, 18). For the second
big step, you have to create and think about good and appropriate design for the
presentation. Design is about adding some photos, pictures, charts, additional data, video
records and other visuals. The third big step and in my opinion the most important one, is
delivery of presentation. Presentation needs to be clear and well structured and the
presenter has to speak right to the point. Presentation can be nicely designed, well
structured and full of important information, but without good delivery, it is worthless.
Bradbury claimed, that the speaker (Presenter) having the capability to make contact, can
influence their audience in two levels, on conscious level and on subconscious level
(2001, 8). Another situation you have to deal with, as Presenter is answering questions.
As Townsend mentioned, if participants of presentations ask questions, these questions
are not questions in a true sense of the word, it is much more probable the desire to become
the centre of attention (2007, 44). However, if it happens that someone from the audience
puts a real and clear question, answer it clearly and concisely. In my opinion, this all is
slightly connected with delivery of presentation. After these three points, as content, design
and delivery of presentation it is also important to mention another point- Situation.
According to Bradbury “the situation in which you will find yourself does not play a
significant role” (2001, 8). When you found out, that you have to make a presentation,
consider all details- important and also unimportant. This may seem very logically, but not
many people do this. Mike Rotondo and Jennifer Rotondo claimed in their book, that there
are four P´s- Purpose, People, Point, Place- which are important in creating Presentation
(2002, 20).
For each of these P´s I will add some information. Meaning of Purpose is clear;
purpose is the reason, why we presenting, why we are making the Presentation. People, are
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the audience, that will hear and watch you presentation. The listener of your presentation is
as Plamínek claimed the main key element of preparation of presentation and presentation
itself (2008, 143). Another phenomenon you must consider as Presenter is the number of
Listeners.
As Plamínek argues, “the number of listeners affects particularly relational aspects of
communication” (2008, 143). Another important thing, you must take into consideration is,
how much do they know about your Topic- if they are professionals or if they are, let’s say
amateurs and do not know anything about the Topic. Next, I will add some information
about the Point, what it is and how it is important. What is Point relates, we can ask
ourselves, if we have met our Expectations, or if we have managed all that we have stated
before as important and interesting. Last of our P´s is Place. Place is the surrounding,
where the Presenter will have his/her Presentation. But with this topic of Place I am going
to deal later on, in the chapter about well-known Presentation Techniques.
Again I will mention Rotondo who said that “asking questions is quite important
before presenting” (2002, 23). So it is very essential to ask ourselves a few questions about
Place, e.g. how big is the room, where I will have my Presentation? What is the layout of
seats and other furniture? How much can it be changed, if needed? What equipment will be
in that room? A screen? A microphone? (What kind?) A podium? Now after these P´s, I
would like to introduce ten tips how to present and deliver a great Presentation.
Townsend noted, “you as Presenter do not keep your nose buried in notes all the time
you are presenting, with the exception of quotations never read from your notes- this only
shows, that you are not well prepared, third of tips is that if you are not nervous, something
is wrong” (2007, 50).
The fourth tip is aimed at our gesticulation and says that we should overdo gestures
and verbal emphases, showcase, but do not perform- you are not an actor in a theatre, make
pauses often- the silence is much more longer for you, than for audience, do not forget to
use humor- one laugh is worth at least a thousand frowns, be enthusiastic- if you do not
show enthusiasm, why would Listeners have to do this? Last thing- Do not try to gain
Nobel Prize for technical accuracy. So, to sum up what Townsend means.
Be optimist, do not try to be the best one, always be prepared and try to do your best during
presenting. Presenting is not as hard and psychically demanding as it may seem- all
depends on you, but on the other hand, if you are straightforward enough, then it is no need
to worry about anything. All of us definitely know Murphy’s law- "Anything that can go
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wrong will go wrong". So try to fight against it. Always be well prepared, nothing can
surprise you then. With this Murphy’s Law making of backup plan is slightly connectedbut this Technique of creating a backup plan will be mentioned later on, in the chapter
about various kinds of Presentation Techniques which comes after the chapter about what
is a presentation technique.
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WHAT IS A PRESENTATION TECHNIQUE
In this chapter I will explain presentation techniques. Further, I will describe what the
presentation technique is and chosen techniques will be briefly introduced. During
checking materials and looking for a definition of presentation technique I had not found
any good and reliable supportive material, so I decided to write an email to Ms. Vladimíra
Fonfárová and asked her about the definition of Presentation Techniques.
Her reply was clear for me and entirely adequate. So I will begin with her definition of
presentation technique which can be defined as “the ability with which a Presenter
presents”. Presentation techniques overlap to some extent with delivery skills. This means
the way in which a speaker presents (or what presentation technique used). Techniques are
used differently; it depends on the way in which speaker presents. “If a person who is
presenting reads the presentation, or if the presenter has learned it by heart and only recites
it, or if person who presents speaks right from the head and keeps only the outline”
(Fonfárová).
She also mentioned that “each technique has different effect or impact on an audience
for sure; therefore the presenter is forced to work with respect to different presentation
techniques differently with an audience”. Then she continued with the following sentences.
Interaction with an audience during the read presentation is very different from interaction
during the spoken presentation where the spokesman can go directly between the listeners
and build kind of a contact with individual listeners, after that Ms. Fonfárová claimed that
“chosen technique also affects language of presenting, read presentation is more complex,
demanding for the listeners, the language of expression is formal, also there appear
complex sentences, longer statements, it is more difficult to understand, during the spoken
presentation colloquial language is used rather than highly formal, the speaker has
tendencies to avoid terminology and unknown expressions, but tries to explain not well
known terms, on basis of feedback from the audience, Presenter also gives more examples,
to clarify a situation and is more open and calm. It depends on the individuality of
presenter, which Techniques will be chosen” (Fonfárová).
I would assume it with the assertion that it is no rule to choose only one Technique
during the presentation and for using it during the whole presentation. Techniques can be
changed during presenting. One Presenter could have great imagination and that is the
reason why Presenter will choose the presentation technique of storytelling, another one
love pictures and visual materials, so he or she will choose the technique of using visual
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aids. Another presenter knows something more about presentations and presentation
techniques and moreover is responsible that is the main reason why he or she would choose
the technique of creating a back-up plan and checking out the presentation room.
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FIVE WELL KNOWN PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES AND
THEIR DESCRIPTION
In this part of my Bachelor Thesis, I would like to introduce and also describe five
well-known presentation techniques in great detail and provide as much information about
them as possible. For me, reading about these techniques was very useful and I think I
would definitely use these techniques in my future job, and also during my further studies.
In my opinion, all this information could be very useful for many presenters, despite
the fact they may be good enough in their field, but need further education. It is always
good to know, how to be better, how you can make your presentation more interesting and
easy to remember. I found these five presentation techniques most useful and remarkable.
Of course, there are quite a lot of other techniques which may be useful and they may be
best for someone else again.
This topic is very individual; it depends on the point of view of each presenter. I chose
these five techniques because I think; they are most important and well known. These
techniques can be very helpful and they can facilitate your later work- you will feel more
comfortable, you will know what you are speaking about, how you should speak to the
audience, you will not be nervous during presenting. All these tips I have chosen can calm
you down little bit and make you more self-confident.
3.1 Using Visual Aids
First of these techniques I want to mention is Using Visual Aids. A question could be
what does the term Visualization or Visual Aid mean? As any question, even this one has
its own answer. Under the term Visualization we can imagine the process of converting
ideas into visual form (photo, flipchart, snapshot and slide). So, the second question was
what we can imagine under the term Visual Aid. I have a simple answer for that. Visual
Aid is every item, which we can use to support our ideas in visual form. Another question
might be why we should use visual aids?
Bradbury stated that “almost 90% of the knowledge that we have, we get through a
visual way-from movies, books, magazines, but through listening we gain only 7-11%
knowledge, average listener will recall 70% of content from verbal presentation after three
hours, after three days only 10%, from visual presentation Listener will recall after three
hours 75% of content and after three days even 20% , which is twice much as from the
verbal presentation” (2001, 71).
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Another fact that Bradbury claimed is that from the presentations based on a
combination of speech and visual aids the listener after three hours recall up to 85% of the
content, and after three days, almost 66%, which is unbelievable (2001, 71). Using of
visual aids such as forms of the record of the complex text, the presentation can reduce the
time needed for the preparation itself on one hand, but on the other hand it allows you to be
very flexible, when presenting. But using visuals is not always positive. Checking the
accuracy of visual aids such as overhead projector, takes a lot of time. In fact, you spend a
significant part of the presentation just watching the device and controlling it, instead of
watching your audience, which is a big mistake. That leads to the fact that you as a
presenter can lose your eye contact with an audience just because of controlling something
else. Another piece of advice is not to try to compensate for the lack of written documents
or notes with too much detailed visual aids. Purely and simply, enough is enough. Visual
aids are e.g. pictures, photographs, graphics, graphs, videos, diagrams etc. All of these
Visuals are illustrative, can help the presenter to improve the presentation and add some
more quality to Presentation itself.
As Melody Templeton advises in her book “whenever possible use a whiteboard or
flipchart in addition to PowerPoint slides for varied interest” (2010, 29). It can double his
or her chances to interest an Audience and meet with their Expectations. Now is the time to
mention these guides, how we choose them and how we use them. Nowadays there are
already a number of easily portable pieces of equipment that can be connected with a
computer, video recorder and other facilities. But purchase of similar high-quality
technology is still quite financially demanding, but despite this fact the prices are dropping,
nevertheless not every company can afford to buy this. As was mentioned above, Visuals
can help interest more people and can make almost always the biggest impression. Using
Visuals is more than 75 percent of Listeners interest. As it is said- I hear and I forget, I see
and I remember all this information (more visuals mean bigger probability that your
audience will remember your presentation), I do and I understand properly.
Of course, there are still some prejudices as Hierhold mentioned as for example “my
words must be enough for Presentation- only a fool needs scribble to understand the
words”, second prejudice can be “as visual aids will be sufficient only figures and texts”
and third and most incomprehensible for me is “Pictures belong to children's books, not a
serious lecture and they are childish and lead to illiteracy” (2008, 107) .In fact, using
visuals is much more effective, than only speaking, about boring facts, then nobody can
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imagine how these facts could look like or how it functions. Speakers using visual aids are
generally perceived as more persuasive professionals with higher ability to persuade than
those who fully rely only on the spoken word, they are more credible and trustworthy. This
means that if you want to prepare a really engaging and memorable presentation, you will
inevitably have to use any of visual aids. Every fact should be fully supported by
appropriate photos, pictures, graphs or diagrams. Also, the slides and graphics are in a
presentation to support the presenter, not the other way round. Nothing is more boring, than
listening to something, you can not understand and imagine.
From my point of view, adding more pictures and videos, is a big advantage and can
improve a presentation like no other thing. But use of visual aids is very individual;
because every person prefers something else. One can like pictures, so he will implement
lot of pictures in his presentation, another can like graphs, so he will work only with
graphs. So a real answer to the question of which form you prepare data for your
presentation depends fully only on yourself. Ideal is to try out all the options.
All in all, first you should consider carefully all possible forms of visual aids that are
offered and choose one or two that will suit best your goals, your audience, your beliefs,
yourself and your skills. You must be definitely sure that you have chosen well and assure
yourself about your knowledge of dealing with visuals.
As Andrew Bradbury advises, “be careful and avoid concomitant use of various forms
of visual aids, if you do not have an assistant who knows a lot about the use of such
techniques or your own wealth experience in this area” (2001, 72). An old piece of advice
is, thinks twice and speaks once.
3.2 Storytelling
In this chapter I would mention the technique of storytelling, which is in my opinion
one of the most interesting techniques. I will begin with the definition of a story, how a
story is created and then I would explain why stories help an audience to understand and
remember a presentation.
The first question is what is the story? The story is a kind of narrative with a
beginning, middle part and end; it frequently brings up answered questions, crises or
conflicts that are usually resolved at the end of the story itself. Now comes the issue of
creating stories.
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Weismann claimed, there are seven steps to create a perfect story, but in my work I am
going to mention only some of these. The first of these steps is- “establish the framework
of your Presentation, that means define your playing field- without boundaries you tend to
throw everything into the mix and your story becomes a confusing assault on your
Audience. The second step is Brainstorming- consider all the possibilities, the Purpose of
this part of the process is to lay out all the possible ideas you might consider and then
evaluate, select or reject each idea, separate the wheat from the chaff. The third step and
the last one I am going to mention is to make a flow structure- provide a road map for your
audience and for you- this means envelop your main Themes within a larger unit and give
the individual components of your story a meaningful, orderly flow” (2009, 36-38).
Another question could be why do stories help an audience understand and remember
presentation (information from presentation)? It is just because stories are a very powerful
tool in organizing and giving information and also in creating certain meaning. Logically it
is much easier to understand and remember information, when it is part of a story and when
it is connected to other events in narrative.
Marilyn Pincus claimed in her book, stories enable you to involve Listeners and leave
them with something to remember (2006, 123). Do not hesitate to tell stories, your own
Experience, to illustrate points of your Presentation. Be able to refer to every situation you
are speaking about in your presentation; be able to tell stories from your life, to support
your Presentation with life stories. A story creates strong relationship between the audience
and the presenter himself/ herself. It also keeps the audience highly engaged as they
participate in the narrative and they desire to know what happens next and what the ending
of the story is. E.J. Williams argued that emotions are addressed and this is also important
for the memory and learning, since the emotional centre of the brain is situated near to the
part of the brain, responsible for long-term memory. In addition, what is the best about
stories- they put people (listeners, audience) in a state of relaxed awareness which is a more
sentient state for absorbing great amount of information (2008, 67).
Jonty Pearce mentioned on the webpage about presentations and presentation
techniques- “All presentations are a kind of Theatre” (Presentation Magazine). So become
the actor and play your role. As it is obvious, it is no coincidence that storytelling has such
a long and rich oral tradition in most cultures. With storytelling is also linked imagery. You
may ask how it works. I explain it right now. The presenter takes two unrelated items and
makes a kind of collation between them. After that, there is a sort of shock effect and the
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audience begins to figure out this by making a link between these two items. These create
reflection, unleash the imagination and bring the presentation to life. It is nothing new that
imagery is often remembered a long time after a presentation is over. This feature it has in
common with the storytelling. Good storytellers are definitely positive, enthusiastic and
energetic and relate stories that make a good relevant point. They have to make their
message clear for everybody and make a kind of connection between the story and the
presentation. Secondly, I would mention what characterizes an effective presenter. Those
effective presenters do a competent job and give well-structured and organized
presentations. They also give reliable and solid information to their audiences and explain
in great detail, effectively and logically complex information. An expert presenter employs
a wide range of additional techniques to help communicate the message and handle really
effective presentation.
If your Presentation is good and moreover you are a good storyteller, then the whole
end result must be definitely perfect. If you tell stories, you may want to persuade an
audience in a certain way. If the stories are from your real life or from your colleague’s life
and are trustworthy, the audience will feel immediately that the same thing can happen to
them either.
So if you are, for example, working for company that produces toothbrushes and other
stuff for dental hygiene, you will perhaps tell them a story, how your neighbor suffered,
because he used a badly chosen toothbrush, from a certain company and it injured his gum
so badly, that he could not eat. So after this story, you as a Presenter will probably come up
with a solution, you recommend them special new toothbrush that will never injure the
gum and will fit perfectly to everybody. People will listen with great interest and they will
think about trying to buy this new type of toothbrush, because now- they are persuaded, by
your story. Stories and Experience have power to persuade you and to widen your horizons.
Plamínek mentioned that “variegation is in compliance with the idea of services for
listeners- it is not in their interest to get bored” (2008, 146).
It is also very reasonable to intercut your Interpretation with examples and stories.
Both binds attention to the content, and if the story or example is well-chosen, then it
illustrates the interpretation and thus creates longer-term preconditions for memorize
lectures. From my point of view, storytelling is very essential and useful. It gives
presentation some added value that can not be replaced by anything else. If you as a
presenter choose appropriate example or story, to complete and add some more quality to
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your presentation, success is guaranteed. Practice always functions much better than only
theory and boring information. Moreover, practice connected together with well structured
presentation is clear win. Most of us have already seen some presentations, maybe boring
or interesting.
I as a Listener of presentation want to know, what the presenter is speaking about. I do
not only want to know the facts and boring information, but I also want to hear how he or
she would deal with the situation or fact that he or she is presenting about. I always want to
hear, if the presenter has ever met with such a problem and I want to know his/her personal
attitude and his/her story and how much he or she is familiar with the problem about he/she
is speaking and how much the presenter understands the linkage. To sum it up, stories and
imagery catch your attention far more than only austere facts without a pinch of the idea
and hub. Make your presentation as interesting as it is possible, tell stories and tell them
about different Experiences- from your life. Support your presentation with something
special- some extra story.
3.3 The Rule of Three
“No one ever memorize more than three points”
-
Philip Crosby
In this chapter, the presentation technique called Rule of Three will be discussed, what
it is and how it can be used. This technique is quite simple. Rule of Three in presentations
means selecting the three main and most important points from your material you have
already prepared and making that the structure for your own show. Simplicity of this
Technique lies in the fact that listeners will retain in mind three most significant things.
Good presentations often have lists with three different expressions, three identical words,
or expressions, three phrases or three sentences.
E. J. Williams claimed that “lists of three have a sense of completeness and research
shows that listeners wait for and expect a third item in the list as next she claimed that with
the use of the rule of three, you will never make a mistake with regard to your presentation
structure. Number three is in fact the possibly smallest number of elements you definitely
need to create a certain kind of pattern, a certain kind of rule” (2008, 51).
The number three itself has been used so widely throughout some of the most
memorable works from our childhood; just imagine painting family- mother, father and
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you or painting royal family- king, queen and beautiful princess. It is likely that we are
somehow predetermined to respond positively to elements grouped in threes. Work out
what these three messages or main points that you want your audience to take away and
structure your presentation around these three points. When structuring the presentation,
use a maximum of three points on the slide. We could say that The Rule of Three is one of
the oldest of the presentation techniques – it is known since the time of Aristotle, when he
wrote about it in his very famous book called Rhetoric.
The Rule of three is focused on remembering three things. Curious thing is that people
will only remember three points from your whole presentation. The question is what the
three things they will remember are. Be clever and plan in advance what these things will
be. Once you have found out the messages, structure the main part of your Presentation
around these three points and concentrate on better illustrating these points. Like every
Presentation even your own Presentation should have three parts, these parts are the
beginning, the middle and of course, the end. When you have these three parts apportioned,
then start to plan out what exactly you will do in these three parts. I will mention the
beginning of presentation first. Beginning is here to grab the attention of Listeners, to draw
them into action; the beginning is also a good part for breaking the ice. On the other hand,
the end is a great part, where you as presenter can sum up the whole presentation and end
with a grand finale. Another good piece of advice is to use the Lists of three. They are and
were particularly used mainly by politicians and also advertisers, who really know the
value of using this simple Rule of Three, to sell their ideas.
3.4 Have a backup Plan
“If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.”
- Peter Urs Bender
In this section of bachelor thesis will be mentioned the preparation of backup plan,
definition of backup plan and why we create a backup plans.
The importance of a backup plan can not be overstated. It depends only on the
Presenter whether he or she is foresighted and experienced enough to make a good backup
plan. The backup plan as I know it can be defined as a plan in case something bad happens
or as something that you can use to replace something that does not really work or is
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definitely lost and making a backup plan is the act of providing approval and support if
needed. Now I am going to mention what is the accident.
According to Hierhold, accident means that “something is not working the way you
have planned”. He also mentioned preparing a crisis scenario (2008, 335).
Hierhold argues that “the number of accidents can be prevented with routine and the best
possible preparation.” You forget only little, if you know where your documents are when
you prepare them in advance; try to work with technology in advance (2008, 335).
With illustrative visual aids you will not even have a blackout anymore, you know
where you put your things; lay your materials, etc. As we can see, for back up plan there
are many definitions and lot of advice, but in my own words it says that it is only about
making yourself sure that everything will function and if not, just prepare for every
situation, then nothing can surprise you. You definitely know the situation, when you are
presenting and nothing works. Power cut, projector dies, you spilt tea or coffee on your
best dress, loudspeakers does not work properly- all these factors can destroy an otherwise
excellent presentation. You may ask yourself what to do. Essential advice is- make a good
backup plan. You should take with you for example printed out slides, USB stick with your
presentation (just in case you can not connect with the internet, or the folder where you
have saved it is damaged) and of course bring your own notebook/laptop with your slides
on it. It is always better to have all these things with you, than just stand and not know
what to do first if something goes wrong. You can lose the thread, so you can read your
prepared materials- of course if you have prepared them.
To sum it up- as Hierhold claimed in his book “not everything that falls outside your
plan is an accident-only you, can determine whether it remains a small insignificant little
thing or whether you make it a disaster, the audience is on your side, the Audience wants
that everything worked out and accepts a lot of things, except for constant excuses and selfblaming and the very last advice- if there occurs a real accident, correct it silently, continue
in interpretation and not remind it again” (2008, 338).
3.5 Checking out the Presentation Room
This chapter is about checking the presentation room or place where you are going to
present, how important it is to check out the presentation room and some tips how to check
it. In this chapter I gathered from my own experience and from what we learned at
University in lessons of Presentation Skills and also from books.
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If you are able to, make sure you arrive earlier and check out the place where you are
going to have presentation. Start the presentation, go through the slides (check if the
projector is working) to see if animation and audio/visuals do work. The presenter/speaker
is considered to be the most important element of a presentation itself, but the placement of
the presentation screen often sends very different signals. The screen is in most cases
placed in the center. If it is in the middle of the room it is forcing the presenter into a corner
and setting up an unfair competition for your audience’s attention. If it is possible, place
the screen or projection board into the upper‐right front corner of the room to express that
you personally are the main focus of the presentation, not your visuals. The added space
also allows you to move more and better communicate and discuss with your audience.
Without seeing your slide and confirm slide movement, it is almost impossible not to turn
your attention back to the big screen behind you. This constant address and disregard with
your audience is one of very common complaints audience has for presenters. It was also
my case many times, when I was presenting. Another advice is about placing your
notebook on a table in front of you, or in the first row if nobody is sitting here, to take a
brief glance in case you forget your speech. You will appear much more in control.
As Plamínek mentioned, “area has an impact on the Listener and on the Speaker
especially soon it came and in double meaning, he also claimed that a small cramped space
may act as a form of coercion for some participants, in addition, the presenter cannot move
as he or she wants to- moving is one of the basic elements that can be used to attract and
keep attention he also referred to the fact that even larger space can cause certain problemsin most cases distracting, if people can sit far from each other then they pay far less
attention than if they were sitting right next to each other, as last I would also use Plamínek
and his defining of Optimum space which is such that he or she can touch his or her
neighbor only when he / she reaches his or her entire arm, then during the discussion,
Participants can freely gesticulate and express themselves in more communicative
channels, such fuller communication is more understandable and gives the audience much
better feeling” (2008, 148-149).
The most complicated room setting for connecting with your Listeners occurs when
you are imprisoned behind an impersonal lectern or podium. Body language, which is quite
important, is suppressed and then your eyes will spend longer time staring down helplessly
at your notes than looking at your audience. Do not forget also to walk through the
available presenter space to become comfortable with the room, focus on where not to stay
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so you do not get between audience members and the screen and mark the disturbing areas
on the stage, for example by using colored tape or with something else. Nothing is more
annoying than an iterant, rowdy dissipation for your audience. Lights in the room can often
change the color and contrast of your presentation visuals.
As Weissman advised “keep the Illumination low enough to create contrast on the
screen, but never so dark that you lose straight eye contact with the members of your
audience” (2008, 236). Sharp lighting above your projecting screen will probably wash off
your images; make them less appealing, lackluster and with more skewed colors. Perhaps
you will find it more useful to start simply with unplugging a particular light to make your
visuals appear on the screen.
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II. ANALYTICAL PART
27
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28
INTRODUCTION TO THE ANALYTICAL PART
In this part of my bachelor thesis I will use the knowledge from the theoretical part and
apply them in practice. I will analyze company MJM Litovel a.s. itself and also its structure
and employees. I am quite familiar with this company; I have worked there every summer
since the year 2006. I know a lot about it and that is the main reason why I decided to write
about this company in my analytical part. Employees of this company know me very well
and they all agreed to cooperate with me, so I decided to make two questionnaire surveys
about knowledge of Presentation Techniques with the managers from this company.
4.1 Basic information about the company
The company MJM Litovel a.s. is a joint-stock company. This company focuses
mainly on Agriculture but it provides also other services. Its CEO is Mr. Miroslav Šuba,
who is also Chairman of the Board and majority owner. As the name of the company
suggests, its head office is located in Litovel. This company has 13 regional centers almost
throughout whole Central Moravia and part of Northern Moravia. The core business of this
entity as I know it and as was told me, is for example milling industry, operation of railway
transport, production of fodder mixes for animals, treatment of plants, plant products and
soil pests, plant protection products and biocide products, production of hazardous
chemicals and hazardous chemical products (Pesticides), sale of dangerous chemical
substances. I personally was present in all divisions, during my Practical Training and also
several times previously. I know how things and products are made and are being prepared.
I was also present at production- during the process of production, in all laboratories and in
the Mill. This was all for the field of business.
4.2 Structure of the company MJM Litovel a.s.
Now I would like to continue with information about the company itself, how it is
divided, where it has its subsidiaries. At the beginning of previous chapter I have already
mentioned regional centers. These centers are in Šternberk, Šternberk PVK and Šternberk
mlýn, Olomouc, Uničov, Přerov, Bludov, Blatec, Skalice nad Svitavou- since year 2012,
Bruntál-since year 2012, Litovel, Litovel makárna, Tršice. Further on, I will mention
Šternberk as a good example. Litovel is a major place where ongoing negotiations and
meetings of the Council take place. Litovel governs all the other centers, chief economist,
chief accountant and the top management has its headquarters here. Each of these centers
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has different management, different scope of work and different departments. Let me give
you an example of a branch office which is in Šternberk and in which I carried out my
survey for my Bachelor Thesis. Affiliate in Šternberk is divided into five different
divisions. First division I want to mention is Division of Plant products- Plant Production.
As every division even this one has its own Management. Director of this Plant Product
Division is Mr. Martin Krejčíř, Ing. He is one of the TOP managers of this company. His
deputy – is Mr. Boleslav Krejčíř, who is another member of top management of MJM
Litovel a.s.
As second, I want to introduce you to the Division of Feeding Stuffs. I know all of
these Divisions and most employees, because I fulfilled in each of them my practical
training. Director in this Division is Mr. Libor Ustrnul, Ing. He has two assistants –
Deputies. First one is Mrs. Dagmar Řezníčková, who is Chief Officer and leads subdivision
of Evidence and second Deputy is Mr. Pavel Stangl, who leads subdivision of Production.
These three employees are another three members of TOP management. Third very
important Division is Economics Division. Its Director is Mr. Boleslav Krejčíř Jr., Ing. He
has no Deputies, but only several subdivisions, like accounting Division, Financial officer,
payroll Accounting Office and network administrator. So from Šternberk there are six
managers. Other managers and Divisions are in Litovel. I would mention these Divisions
and their managers right now. AGRO Division is represented by Mr. Radomír Šmoldas,
PhD. This man is responsible for leading several subdivisions, e.g. VOP Skalice,
PREFARM section, section of fertilizers, section of Agro services and section of crude oil
products. Each of these divisions has its own representatives. From these Divisions we
have another six managers. It is also important to focus on the Division of General
Manager. As was already mentioned above, General Manager is Mr. Miroslav Šuba, Ing.
with his office in Litovel, his main deputies are Department of Strategy and Conception
with Mr. Zdeněk Šoustal, Ing. then we have manager for quality Mrs. Iveta Kubíčková
PaeDr. Through the Manager for Quality department is undergoing E-commerce and
retailing. Another Division is Division of Technology and Power Engineering- with Chief
Officer Ondřej Bucher, Ing. As the last Division I want to introduce the Division of Agrosales and Consulting services, with the largest proportion of managers. The Chief Officer is
Mr. Alexander Neischl, Ing. who manages another eight managers. So all together it makes
number of twenty-five managers. These managers are always present at every meeting of
the Council, on each presentation and at every conference. This is the main reason why I
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choose them to respond me on my questionnaire survey, because I know, they have to
make presentations very often, so they should be able to have at least any notion of
Presentation Techniques. They make internal presentations regularly, where turnover of the
company, strategic planning, new products and trading partners are being discussed. They
also have to present the company to new customers and investors. This company also
presents itself at various exhibitions and trade fairs. All the information given, were fully
supported by my own Experience and by managers from this company.
4.3 Analysis of the first questionnaire - Basic characteristics of the
relationship of managers in MJM Litovel a.s. as for Presentation
Techniques
In this chapter I did research that can be classified as both quantitative and also as
qualitative. It has characteristics of both these methods. I made the questionnaire which is
being analyzed. This first questionnaire relates to general knowledge of presentation
techniques within the company MJM Litovel a.s. and is basically divided into two parts
where mainly the general knowledge of the presentation techniques was surveyed. These
two parts were – Managers in a role of Presenters and Managers in the role of Listeners.
Data collection lasted approximately one month. Respondents handed over their
questionnaires in one hundred percent- that means all of the twenty five addressed
managers gave me back filled questionnaires. From this questionnaire the following facts
were found. Firstly I want to mention and analyze Part One which was about managers as
Presenters and their general knowledge of presentation techniques (Figure 1.). I asked all
of the twenty five managers to fill in my questionnaire and give it to me back, so all of
these managers did it for me and full amount of questionnaires were returned to me.
Regarding the fact that all twenty - five questioned managers regularly attends meetings
with presentations , some of them do not know what the term Presentation Technique
means and they claimed do not use Presentation Techniques. This lack of knowledge can
be possibly caused by the fact that they are not well oriented in modern technology which
is used for creating and support presentations. They can present well and without problems,
but they do not know that they are using some of the Presentation Techniques. Another
possible reason can be that they did not attend various training courses on Presentation
Techniques and also they did not have the possibility to make Presentations at school and
hereby also learn about Presentation Techniques.
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Figure 1. Orientation in the field of presentation techniques within the company MJM
Litovel a.s.
The managers who are unsure about their presenting and choosing the right
presentation technique simply draw only from their own Experience and from what they
have seen with their colleagues. On the contrary, satisfactory is that eighteen managers out
of twentyfive, which is 72%, claimed that they are well oriented in the field of presentation
techniques, five managers (20%) have partial knowledge of presentation techniques and
remaining two (8%) are without knowledge. These eighteen managers are obviously better
oriented in the field of presentations and presentation techniques and they are quite
experienced and use presentation techniques often. The second question was, if they are
using any of the Presentation Techniques. Twenty one of them answered Yes, I use them
and the remaining four who answered No I do not use them, from this finding raises
another fact that eighteen of them use these Techniques regularly, four of them very often
and only three of them do not use them at all. The fourth question was about Techniques
with which they interest their audience. This finding was interesting for me, because I can
say that I concurred with their answers. Sixteen of them answered they interest their
audience with giving examples from their practice, from their working life and nine of
them interest their audience with the use of Visual Aids (like the images , video player or
e.g. interactive board). These two answers were most common.
The second part of the questionnaire, where the respondent assessed the presentations
in position of a listener, intentionally used as feedback for the initial part. Its substance was
to verify the statements of the first part. In the questionnaire, which includes questions for
the subjective assessment of their own presentations, the dominant indicator was of
complete knowledge of presentation techniques and their applications.
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Respondents in the role of listener pointed primarily to the appearance of the presenter
and its conciseness and brevity of the presentation. At the same time they pointed out the
question: "What would you consider the presentation of your company to improve?" They
mentioned they will improve and shorten the recitation of presentation (i.e. its briefness
and conciseness). This question was also answered by almost 80%, which indicates a bias
evaluation of the first part of the questionnaire and its final output, where 72% of the
respondents considered complete knowledge of presentation techniques and their
applications.
To find even more specific information about respondents' awareness about the
problems in their company presentation it was decided to create a second additional
questionnaire, which has the character of qualitative methods of research- but again it has
also some characteristics from quantitative research. The structure of questions based on
the initial questionnaire; however, the emphasis was on a more objective evaluation and
thus ensures accurate testing deficiencies, to determine the real situation and the needs of
company in regard to the issue of presentation and presentation techniques of their
employees.
4.4 Analysis of second extending questionnaire- research of deeper
knowledge of presentation techniques
This chapter will deal with more qualitative research, but again it interferes with
elements of quantitative research methods. This second questionnaire is compiled in order
to identify more detailed information. Respondents had a shorter period of ten days for
their response. Unfortunately, some of the managers were on training or on business trip,
so they were not able to answer me. So I did my survey only with some of them. In contrast
to the first questionnaire survey (which was very general) this one was designed to make it
possible to specify the age and length of practice of all these managers. Eighteen of them
were present in the company; during I was doing my second research, so eighteen
questionnaires were returned to me. These respondents are of various age range and length
of work experience as I have found from my research. This age range is from 28 to 65
years, both men (92%) and women (8%) filled in my questionnaire an also the length of
their work experience varies. All these above mentioned factors can lead to a certain
diversity of responses. Due to large number of men respondents, this factor would not be
used any further.
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Structure of the second questionnaire is divided into two parts where the first part
contains information about the respondents. Specifically, the respondent's gender, age and
length of work experience within the presentation techniques were used. Information
obtained from the first part will be used subsequently for the analysis of questionnaire as
certain distinguishing factors. The prerequisite is the effect of age (Table 1.) and length of
work experience (Table 2.) to the characteristics and presentation skills of respondents.
Table 1. Frequency of respondents and their answers according to distribution of age
Table 2. Frequency respondents and their answers according to length of work experience
Another relatively important ranking factor is gender of questioned managers. Thanks
to the knowledge of company’s background I knew in advance that there are more men in
company’s leadership and top management. Data from the questionnaire confirmed this
fact. 94% of the interviewed managers were men and only 6% were women, so that is the
main reason, why this evaluation factor was not used any further.
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Table 3. Frequency of respondents according to age
Age
Respondents frequency in the range of
Relative frequency of respondents in the range of
18-30
30-45
45+
1
8
9
6%
44%
50%
Table 4. Frequency of respondents according to length of work experience
Length of work experience
(in years)
Respondents frequency in the range of
Relative frequency of respondents in the range of
0-5
5-10
10+
3
3
12
17%
17%
67%
Table 5. Frequency of managers according to sex
Frequency of respondents according to sex
Relative frequency of respondents according to sex
Female
Male
1
17
6%
94%
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Now I would accede to the second part of questionnaire. The second part of the
questionnaire consists of questions themselves. Here was chosen the form of multi-valued
questions specifically to set out accurately the weaknesses of presentation skills and on the
other hand qualities of managers, as well as the use of presentation techniques and tools for
presenting. Summary of the results refers to overall situation among respondents and thus
the complex level of knowledge of presentation skills of managers in the company MJM
Litovel a.s.
In the first questionnaire respondents stated that they are familiar with the topic of use
of presentations and presentation techniques. This fact is confirmed by the first issue of
“how presenter perceive own presentation and way of presenting” according to age
distribution (Figure 2.) and according to length of work experience (Figure 3.)
Figure 2. Graphical elaboration of the first question- “How presenter perceives
own presentation and way of presenting” (with respect to age distribution)
78% of respondents claimed they use the presentation as a certain means how they
communicate information of which half of them even consider presenting as the most
effective means for transmitting messages to their listeners (this finding was influenced by
the age - figure 2. and also by the length of work experience of individual managers- as we
can see in the figure 3.).
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Figure 3. Graphical elaboration of the first question- “How presenter perceives own
presentation and way of presenting” (with respect to the length of work experience)
At the same time we find the answers to the second question that points to the fact that
78 % of respondents stated that self-evaluation of their presentation is often deficient
(again this question was elaborated graphically- with respect to the age - Figure 4. and with
respect to the length of work experience - Figure 5.) .
Figure 4. Graphical elaboration of second question- “When evaluating your presentation,
most often prevails” (according to the age)
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Figure 5. Graphical elaboration of second question- “When evaluating your presentation,
most often prevails” (according to length of work experience)
Revealing the cause of these findings lead to question number four. Some examples of
problems that may arise during the presentation itself were offered. Between the responses,
preparatory phase was also taken into an account, as well as presentation equipment, room
where the presentation takes place or behavior of listeners- these were all factors that can
influence presenters during presenting. This fourth question allowed multiple responses.
The most common problems that can appear during presenting in company MJM Litovel
a.s. are problems with software in which presentations have to be prepared, and then
second problem with interrupting the flow of presentation with questions from the audience
often appears.
In this situation, the predominant impression that incurred problems may stem from
ignorance of basic presentation techniques. When directly questioned the knowledge of
these techniques in the first questionnaire, some respondents stated that they do not know
much about presentation techniques. Constituent part of the third question in the second
questionnaire was this question: The presenters are trying to attract audience especially
with? Offered answers to this question corresponded with the practical use of presentation
techniques that are mentioned in the chapter 3.0 of this bachelor thesis. Thanks so
formulated question indicated that respondents use various presentation techniques
approximately in the similar way. It may be stated that despite the theoretical ignorance of
the term presentation techniques these surveyed employees are using these techniques.
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The last fifth question of the questionnaire provides a kind of space for free answerwhat would they like to improve on their presentation skills. The question again had the
character of a multi-valued question therefore more than more than one answer was
possible. General overview of the interest on the respondents' desire to improve individual
characteristics of their presentation skills. It is all about improving your speech and
preparation of presentations. As was already mentioned in the introduction of this chapter,
the analysis of the questionnaire were established distinguishing factors of gender, age and
length of work experience. One of the factors, namely gender of the respondent, was not
used any further because it had no statistically meaningful value - relative frequency of
males was 94%.
Age factor which was quite important was taken into account so that I divided the
respondents into two age groups. One was below 45 years and second group was above 45
years. Distribution was chosen as certain ontogenetic evolution stage of human life. The
first group of up to 45 years can be classified as a period of maturity and a group of over 45
year is ranked as a middle age. The very first question showed that between these groups is
difference from the point of view of presentation creating or either presentation watching.
78% of the younger group identified the presentation as an effective means for the
transmission of information. The second age group was more inclined to have a more
negative attitude towards presenting - 44% of respondents over 45 years, consider
presenting as a necessary duty which is just part of their work. The reason for this
difference may be in the different way of teaching when respondents of different age range
studied. The younger group is more accustomed and familiar with the use of modern
methods of presentation and this fact may be the reason for its greater popularity than with
older colleagues.
Other differences emerged when examining the way in which areas these two age
groups concentrate on for attracting audience. The younger age group is more focused on
their presentation skills and performance in comparison with the older ones, who are more
likable to use highlighting examples of their practice. Older age group also reported a
higher incidence of problems with software dedicated to make presentations. You will
certainly expect lower computer literacy with an older group.
When comparing responses in the fifth question, where respondents could indicate
whether they would like to improve their presentation skills it was clearly evident that the
younger age group is more interested in their self improvement than the older managers.
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Length of experience of the respondents, which use presentation techniques, is another
factor that influenced the answers. With length of experience is connected the experience
of the respondents in the area. My research shows that respondents with a length of
experience between 6-10 years use the presentation. In their presentations are only minor
deficiencies. They use all presentation techniques and solve only minor problems with the
interpretation. It is therefore possible to state that they have overcome initial uncertainty in
their practice; they know their work environment, where they already have a certain level
of experience and are effective in their presentation.
For respondents with a length of work experience within 5 years applies that they
perceive their mistakes more than the previous category. These errors can result from
imperfect knowledge of the working environment and lower level of experience. They
admit the highest level of requirements for further improvement of their presentation skills.
This can also be attributed to the fact that the majority of respondents still have habits from
the studies and to do not defend further self-education. The last category, where
respondents with a length of over 10 years of work experience are represented, is also
influenced by higher age of the respondents. This category uses presentations at least as a
means of communication and information. Presentation for them is only a necessary
requirement- just part of their work. When they are presenting they use their own work
experience from real practice, which may result with the inappropriate use into low-level
presentations.
I mean, the presentation is too broad and does not reflect the essence of the problem.
With this is apparently connected with the highest degree of the respondent's perception of
problems with their listeners.
4.5 Evaluation and conclusion of analytical part
Now I would like to evaluate results and findings from research I have done. Based on
the responses from two questionnaires, which were linked to each other, I analyzed the
issue of presentation techniques and skills in the top management of MJM Litovel a.s. The
first questionnaire survey was used as an input for further analysis. Its two parts with
questions required that respondents have to subjectively evaluate their presentation skills
and presentation skills of their colleagues. This second part served as feedback for
evaluating the objectivity of the first one. On the basis of the first questionnaire, I have
established a more detailed second questionnaire that differentiates respondents according
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to their age and the length of their work experience. These two factors were measured with
a summary of all respondents. Specific questions in the second questionnaire were given
deliberately for a deeper understanding of the company environment, presentation skills of
the respondents or their attitude to presenting and presentation techniques.
The outcome of my investigation is that the company has in its management
representation of young generation of managers who use modern methods for presenting
and trying to be effective and innovative in their business presentations. At the same time
you they can admit their deficiencies in various areas and tend to remove them and avoid
them. Their older colleagues from the group above 45 years have a greater effort to use
different methods for communicating information than presenting. However, if they choose
the form of presentation, then they prefer to use their practical examples and it is
apparently at the expense of the effectiveness of the presentation. To sum up, the company
MJM is well technically equipped for making presentations and work meetings. Managers
know the basics of presentation techniques and are able to use devices for presentation. The
younger generation of managers draws from better computer literacy and use of theoretical
knowledge of presentation techniques from their studies. Managers with a length of work
experience over 5 years positively use their experience and during presenting are confident
and effective. The older generation of managers draws from what they have learned
through years of their own work experience and do not need any additional theoretical
knowledge of presentation techniques. These managers, are not innovative, and do not
come with anything revealing and intriguing.
4.6 Recommendation for the company MJM Litovel a.s.
Recommendations for the company MJM Litovel a.s. are following. Based on the
analysis, I recommend the company to use the services of a consultant or a company that
provides training services in the field of presentation skills. MJM Litovel a.s. can reach a
little higher efficiency in the use of presentation techniques during corporate presentations.
With a resolution of respondents to the analysis of questionnaires shows that certain groups
will require different approaches. It is possible to select individual or collective training for
managers, so called team-building training that could motivate senior managers, who did
not show too much interest in improving their presentation skills in their responses.
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CONCLUSION
The main goal of my thesis was to prove increasing importance of using presentation
techniques during presenting and also public speaking and then apply this fact within the
company MJM Litovel a.s.
My theoretical part was divided into three thematically related chapters, where
definition of presentation and presentation creating was mentioned, and then presentation
technique was defined. In the next chapter, five individual presentation techniques were
described in great detail and in each subchapter is defined a different presentation
technique; there are also mentioned requirements that are placed upon the presenter.
What’s more, the requirements for presenters are increasing and are becoming more
demanding than ever before and this is the main reason why it is essential to learn how to
effectively use properly selected presentation techniques.
Just by selecting the right kind or combination of these techniques, are presenters
working in their favor. Therefore I also described some basic and well-known presentation
techniques and how to use them, to make presentation even more effective and remarkable.
In the analytical part, my task was to analyze questionnaires which concerned
awareness of presentation techniques and presentation skills among managers in company
MJM Litovel a.s. and introduce this company, its structure and managers a little bit.
According to my own insights and findings the main goal of the thesis, to prove the
importance of using of presentation techniques during presenting and public speaking, was
achieved.
I think that in this work I encompass all the essential and interesting facts and
knowledge that could be used further as a kind of guide in the process of creating various
presentations.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bradbury, Andrew. 2001. Jak úspěšně prezentovat a přesvědčit. Praha: Computer Press.
Hierhold, Emil. 2006. Rétorika a prezentace. Praha: Grada Publishing,a.s.
Pincus, Marilyn. 2006. Boost you Presentation IQ: Proven Techniques for Presentations
and Speeches. United States of America: The McGraw Hill
Plamínek, Jiří. 2008. Komunikace a prezentace:Umění mluvit, slyšet a rozumět. Praha:
Grada Publishing a.s.
Rotondo, Jennifer, and Mike Rotondo Jr. 2002. Presentation Skills for Managers. New
York: The McGraw-Hill
Templeton, Melody. 2010. Public speaking and Presentations demystified. New York: The
McGraw Hill companies Inc.
Townsend, John. 2007. Prezentace: kapesní příručka podnětů, postupů a technik
užitečných pro úspěšnou prezentaci. Praha: Portál.
Williams, Erica. 2008. Presentations in English: Find your voice as a Presenter. Oxford:
Macmillan Education.
Weissman, Jerry. 2009. Presenting to win: The Art of telling your Story. New Jersey:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Weissman, Jerry. 2009. The power Presenter: technique, style, and strategy from
America’s top speaking couch. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
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Internet sources
Fonfárová, Vladimíra. March 7, 2013.Zlín. Electronic communication with an author.
Presentation Magazine. “Effective Presentation Techniques-The Top 10”. March 23, 2013.
www.presentationmagazine.com
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TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Orientation in the field of presentation techniques within the company
MJM Litovel a.s. ............................................................................................... 31
Figure 2. Graphical elaboration of the first question- “How presenter perceives own
presentation and way of presenting” (with respect to age distribution)............ 35
Figure 3. Graphical elaboration of the first question- “How presenter perceives own
presentation and way of presenting” (with respect to the length of work
experience)........................................................................................................ 36
Figure 4. Graphical elaboration of second question- “When evaluating your
presentation, most often prevails” (according to the age)................................. 36
Figure 5. Graphical elaboration of second question- “When evaluating your
presentation, most often prevails” (according to length of work
experience)........................................................................................................ 37
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Frequency of respondents and their answers according to distribution of age ...... 33
Table 2. Frequency respondents and their answers according to length of work
experience .............................................................................................................. 33
Table 3. Frequency of respondents according to age ........................................................... 34
Table 4. Frequency of respondents according to length of work experience....................... 34
Table 5. Frequency of managers according to sex ............................................................... 34
TBU in Zlín, Faculty of Humanities
APPENDICES
P
Questionnaires
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APPENDIX P: QUESTIONNAIRE ONE
APPENDIX P: QUESTIONNAIRE TWO